Shoe supporting jack



Nov. 18, 1941. 6. P 5. CROSS 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 W835 M121011%. 5. 7; $2 6% 614 M Nov. 18, 1941. s. P. s. @2055 SHOE SUPPORTING JACKFiled June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 18, 1941. G. P. s. @20552,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 18,1941. G. P. s. cRoss 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 18,1941. G. P. s. CROSS 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 5 g. 0' 2 rd 7i 11% s I I 5 w m J6 r 17461 g h 1/ 1/5 E 1% Z35 E 2? Jr z nth w fiwflNo 18, 1941. G. P. s. CROSS 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 6 I -7 I 6'Nov. 18, 1941.

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 G. P. S. CROSS 16 Sheets-Sheet7 mas 1Y6. AQL

Nov. 18, 1941.

lkzll G. P. S. CROSS SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16Sheets-Sheet 8 .5.M 7mm Nov. 18, 1941. s. P. s. CROSS SHOE SUPPORTINGJACK l6 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed June 28, 1940 Nov. 18, 1941. G. P. s. cRoss2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 10 LLL Z56linen/10F #cmm Nov. 18, 1941. G. P. s. CROSS 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28; 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 11 Nov. 18,1941. G. P. s. caos s 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 12 19 r Q 9 I15 O 11;? '15! 0 fim, wagw Nov. 18, 1941. G. P. s. (312055 SHOESUPPORTING JACK 16 Sheet et 13 Filed June 2 Nov. 18, 1941. G. P. 5.Q2055 SHOE SUPPORTING JACK 16 Sheets-Sheet 14 Filed June 28, 1940 Nov.18, 1941. G. P. s. CROSS I 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet l5 mas 1)? 5.$613 21 Nov. 18, 1941. G. P. s. CROSS 2,263,488

SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Filed June 28, 1940 16 Sheets-Sheet 16 gg J0 l/l/Ill/Al Patented Nov. 18, 1941 SHOE SUPPORTING JACK Garrett P. S. Cross,Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boroughof Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 28,1940, Serial No. 342,967

31 Claims.

The present invention relates to shoe supporting jacks and is intendedprimarily as an improvement in the type of jack disclosed in applicantsprior Patents Nos. 2,056,713 and 2,056,714, dated October 6, 1936.

This type of jack is designed to support a lasted shoe while beingoperated upon by the shoe making instrumentalities of various shoemaking machines and more particularly automatic machines, in which meansare provided for relatively moving the jack and operatinginstrumentalities to transfer the point of operation along the shoe andfor controlling the relative positions of the shoe and operatinginstrumentalities during such transfer.

It is to be understood, however, that the several features of thepresent invention, except as hereinafter specifically defined in theclaims, are not confined to any particular type of jack nor limited touse in any particular kind of shoe making machine.

The objects of the present invention are to facilitate the speedy andaccurate location of a lasted shoe on the jack regardless of the size orstyle of the shoe and the clamping of the shoe firmly in adjustedposition so as to prevent displacement on the jack during the shoemaking operation while leaving all necessary portions of the shoeexposed to the action of the instrumentalities of the particular machinein which the jack is used.

With the above objects in view, a feature of the present invention hasbeen embodied in a shoe supporting jack provided with toe centeringgrips or clamps similar to those disclosed in applicants prior patentsbut constructed and arranged to also act as a support for the toeportion of the shoe. To this end, the toe grips are shaped to extendaround the last supported upper a suflicient distance to support the toeportion of the shoe at the desired height. In accordance with anothernovel feature of these toe grips, they are mounted in the jack so as tobe capable of relative movement heightwise of a shoe placed on the jackto compensate for differences in the height of the last at oppositesides of the shoe.

Other novel features of the grips are their supporting means whichpermits them to be 1 position to which they are moved in placing a shoeon the jack.

Another feature of the present invention contemplates the provision in ashoe supporting jack of means for determining the plane transversely ofthe shoe in which the thread surface of the sole of a shoe supported onthe jack will be located comprising leveling devices arranged to engagethe under surface of the projecting shoe sole at opposite sides of theshoe. This feature has been embodied in a construction comprisingleveling devices in the form of vertical pins which are yieldinglymounted in the toe supporting portion of the jack and are arranged to bedepressed in unison as the shoe is forced downwardly by the operator tobring the toe of the shoe into engagement with the toe rest. Theleveling pins are also mounted so as to be movable towards and from eachother and this movement of the leveling pins, in the illustratedconstruction, is utilized to move the toe grips into engagement with theshoe.

In order to prevent possible interference with the operating devices ofthe machine in which the jack is used, a feature of constructionrelating to the leveling devices comprises means for withdrawing theleveling devices from contact with the shoe heightwise of the last afterthe shoe has been clamped in position on the jack. As has been stated,in the illustrated construction, the leveling devices are utilized tomove the toe grips into engagement with the sides of the shoe. In orderto permit the leveling pins to be readily withdrawn, the inward pressureof the pins towards the shoe is relieved after the toe grips have beenlocked in position and prior to the withdrawal of the pins. In thisconnection, it may be noted that the illustrated jack is provided with atoe gage to limit the lengthwise movement of the shoe in being appliedto the jack and that this toe gage is likewise withdrawn heightwise ofthe last after the shoe is clamped in position. As a convenient meansfor withdrawing the toe gage, it is connected to be operated through thesame mechanism which withdraws the leveling devices.

Other features of the present invention relate to an improvedconstruction and arrangement for tipping the last pin upon which theheel portion of the lasted shoe is supported and at the same time bodilymoving the support for the last pin to press the toe of the shoe firmlyagainst the toe rest in clamping the shoe in position. The shoesupporting jack, in which the features of the present invention havebeen embodied, is provided with a jack frame carrying a toe rest andwith a heel supporting arm mounted on the jack frame to move towards andfrom the toe rest. In applying a shoe to the jack, it is placed upon alast pin pivotally mounted on the heel supporting arm and the arm ismoved towards the toe support to locate the shoe lengthwise on the jack.After being so located, it is clamped in position and in accordance witha feature of the present invention, the clamping means comprises meansfor tipping the last pin in a direction to force the toe of the shoeagainst the toe rest and for simultaneously moving the arm on which thelast pin is mounted away from the toe rest, the combined movementsacting to press the toe of the shoe firmly against the rest withoutproducing any appreciable longitudinal movement of the shoe. By movingthe arm on which the last pin is mounted away from the toe rest duringthe tipping movement of the last pin, the shoe as a whole is caused toswing about a center a substantial distance above the pivotal supportfor the last pin and thus the toe of the shoe is not advanced on thejack but is pressed directly downward.

The jack in which the several features of the present invention havebeen embodied, in addition to the features above referred to, alsoembodies many novel features of construction and. arrangement includingnovel mechanism for actuating the various parts and means whereby a freemovement of the heel supporting arm towards the toe rest to locate theshoe longitudinally is permitted and thereafter relative movement of theheel support and toe rest is prevented and the mechanism by which thevarious parts of the shoe clamping mechanism are actuated is renderedoperative. The advantages of these, and other novel features, as willhereinaiter appear, will be obvious to those skilled in the art from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a shoesupporting jack embodying the several features of the invention, thejack illustrated being designed for use in an automatic sole trimmingmachine; Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation on an enlarged scale of theupper end of the toe supporting portion of the jack; Fig. 3 is a view inend elevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2, but with portions of the jack frame removed andbroken away to show underlying parts; Fig. 5 is a view in end elevation,similar to Fig. 3, but with the end plate of the toe supporting portionof the jack removed, together with the parts supported thereby, and withcertain parts shown in section; Fig. 6 is a view in end elevation ofcertain of the parts illustrated in Fig. 5, many of the parts in Fig. 5being omitted to show more clearly the shoe supporting toe grips,together with their supporting and locking mechanism; Fig. '7 is a viewin side elevation, partly in section, of the mechanism illustrated inFig. 6; Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig.6; Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6;Fig. 10 is a view in end elevation of a portion of the mechanismillustrated in Fig. 5, illustrating particularly the leveling pins,together with their supporting and actuating means; Fig. 11 is a view inside elevation, partly in section, of the mechanism illustrated in Fig.10; Fig. 12 is a view in sectional elevation of the mechanismillustrated in Fig. 5, the section being taken on a vertical planepassing substan- F tially through the leveling pins and the lockingplunger for th toe grips; Fig. 13 is a view in end elevation of thelower end of the toe supporting portion of the jack; Fig. 14 is a viewin side elevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 13, with the frame ofthe machine broken away to show underlying parts, the mechanisms beingillustrated in the positions assumed before a shoe is placed on thejack; Figs. 15, 16 and 1'7 are views similar to Fig. 14 illustrating thepositions which the mechanisms assume at different stages in theoperation of clamping a shoe on the jack; Fig. 18 is a detailperspective view of a portion of th mechanism illustrated in Fig. 14,certain of the parts being separated to more clearly illus trate theconstruction and arrangement; Fig. 19 is a sectional plan view takensubstantially on the line I3-I9 of Fig. 12; Fig. 20 is a view in sideelevation of the upper end of the heel supporting portion of the jack;Fig. 21 is an end view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 20looking towards the right; Fig. 22 is a plan view of the partsillustrated in Figs. 20 and 21; and Fig. 23 is a vertical sectional viewillustrating in sectional side elevation the parts shown in dotted linesin Fig. 20.

The jack illustrated in the drawings comprises a frame 2 which carriesat its upper end the toe supporting devices or rest hereinafterdescribed. At its lower end, the jack frame is mounted, as is customaryin automatic machines of the type for which the jack was particularlydesigned. upon a supporting arm 4. The connection between the arm andthe jack frame consists of a rotatable pulley 6 mounted on the arm,through which pulley the spindl at the lower end of the frame extends,and to which it is pivotally connected by a gimbal joint of suitableconstruction. Near the lower end of the jack frame is pivotally mounteda heel supporting arm 8 which is adapted to swing towards and from thetoe supporting portion of the jack to locate a shoe placed on the jackin the desired longitudinal position. To support the heel portion of ashoe placed on the jack, the heel supporting arm is provided at itsupper end with a pivotally mounted last pin 10 adapted to enter theusual last pin hole in the last. Suitable mechanism is mounted in thejack for tipping the last pin so as to press the toe of the shoe againstthe toe rest after the shoe has been located longitudinally on the jackand also connections are provided between the heel supporting arm andthe toe supporting portion of the jack to hold the arm in the positionto which it has been moved in locating the shoe. In order to enable thejack to receive long legged boots or shoes with high vamps, th heelsupporting arm is formed with front and rear portions extendingheightwise of the last of a shoe placed on the jack and separatedsufficiently to provide an opening between them to receive the boot legor high shoe upper.

When the parts of the jack are in open position ready to receive a shoe,the heel supporting arm is freely movable towards and from the toe rest,its movement in each direction being limited by slots 12 in thedownwardly and forwardly extending flanges of a plate l4 pivotallymounted upon the rear portion of the heel supporting arm 8, the flangesof which plate extend on opposite sides of the frame 2 of th jack andthe slots l2 of which are engaged by pins 16 projecting from the jackframe. This plate H, in addition to limiting the movements of the heelsupporting arm, also forms a guide or guard to direct a boot leg or highupper into the opening between the front and rear portions of the heelsupporting arm.

When a shoe is placed on the heel supporting arm and the arm is movedtowards the toe rest, the movement of the arm is limited by contact ofthe toe of the shoe with a toe gage indicated at l8 and comprising avertically arranged plate mounted on the front surface of the upper endof the jack frame 2.

The means for locking the heel supporting arm in the position to whichit is moved to bring the toe of the shoe against the toe gage l8comprises a slide (see Figs. 1 and 14) which is pivotally mounted at itsrear end in the rear portion of the heel supporting arm and extendsforwardly into the frame 2 of the jack. A rack indicated at 22 is formedon the lower side of the slide 20 and is arranged to cooperate with asegmental rack 24 formed on a rack carrying member 26 mounted in thejack frame. During the movement of the heel supporting arm towards thetoe rest, the rack 22 is held out of engagement with the rack 24 bymeans of a compression spring 28 acting on a downward projection fromthe hub of the slide. So long as the rack 22 is held out of engagementwith the rack 24, free movement of the heel supporting arm towards andfrom the toe rest is permitted. After the z:

secured in the arm 8, the arrangement being such that a pivotal movementof the block 28 about the pin 30 tips the last pin H1 in a direction toforce the toe of the shoe against the toe rest of the jack. As wasstated in the introductory part of the specification, the illustratedjack is provided with leveling devices arranged to engage the undersurface of the projecting shoe sole at opposite sides of the shoe andthus determine the plane transversely of the shoe in which the treadsurface of the sole will be located. To enable these leveling devices to0perate satisfactorily regardless of the position of the last pin holewith relation to the bottom of the last, the last pin I6 is mounted onthe block 28 so as to be capable of accommodating itself to the positionto which the last pin hole is moved in bringing the tread surface of theshoe sole into the desired transverse plane. To this end the last pinprojects from a base which is provided with a downwardly and forwardlyextending pivot pin 32 having a bearing in the block 28. As illustratedin the drawings, see particularly Figs. 1 and 20, the axes of the lastpin 10 and pivot pin 32 are located with relation to each other so as tointersect at substantially the heel seat of a last placed on the jack.To hold the last pin on the block 28, while permitting its readyremoval, a latch 34 actuated by a spring 35 is provided pivotallymounted in the block 28 and arranged to engage a notch in the rear sideof the pin 32.

After the shoe has been brought to the desired longitudinal position onthe jack, the last pin is locked against movement with relation to thesupporting block 28 by means of a locking 1 Ill) lever 36, mounted inthe block 28 on the pivot pin 38, the upwardly extending arm of whichlever is provided with a series of notches arranged to engage acorresponding series on the rear edge of the base of the last pin. Afterthe shoe is in the desired longitudinal position, the last pin is alsolooked against backward tipping movement and to accomplish this result,the same lever 36 is utilized which locks the last pin to its supportingblock. To enable the lever 36 to lock the block 28 against backwardtipping movement, the lever is pivotally mounted in the block. Toactuate the lever 36, its horizontally extending arm is connected by alink 38 (see Figs. 1 and 23) to the horizontal arm of a bell crank lever48 mounted in the lower portion of the heel supporting arm 8. Thevertical arm of the bell crank 40 is connected by a link 42 to an arm 44pivotally mounted at its lower end on a pivot shaft forming the pivotalconnection between the heel supporting arm 8 and the frame 2 of thejack. The arm 44 extends upwardly within the frame of the jack and atits upper end is provided with a rack 46 (see Figs. 1 and 14). It willbe obvious from an inspection of these figures that a tipping movementimparted to the block 28 by the operator in forcing the shoe against thetoe rest and also a movement of the heel supporting arm 8 towards thetoe rest will impart a forward swinging movement to the arm 44, thelever 36 during these movements being held stationary with relation tothe block 28 by contact of an adjusting screw 48 in the downwardlyextending arm of the lever with a pin 50 in the block 28 and by thespring 35 which forms a yielding connection between the block 28 and thelever 36. It will also be obvious that a forward swinging movementimparted to the arm 44 while the heel supporting arm 8 is held againstmovement will first swing the block 28 and lever 36 as a unit on accountof the connecting spring 35, thus forcing the forward end of the shoedownwardly upon the leveling devices and causing the last pin H) to rockabout the pivot pin 32 to the desired position before engagement of thelever with the base of the last pin. Continued movement of the arm 44acting on the lever 36 through the connections including the link 36causes the spring 35 to yield and the lever 36 to engage the base of thelast pin. After this, the block 28 and lever 36 again swing as a unitand tighten the shoe against the toe rest.

While the shoe is being moved to its desired longitudinal position, thearm 44 is free to swing. After the shoe is in position, the arm 44 islocked against backward movement by a rack 52 which is brought into meshwith the rack 46 after the meshing of the racks 22 and 24 which hold theheel supporting arm 8 against movement. The rack 52 is formed on thelower portion of the rack carrying member 26 and is brought intoengagement with the rack 46 by a downward bodily movement of the rackcarrying member. The rack carrying member 26 is mounted on a horizontalpivot shaft 54 in the machine frame so as to be capable of a bodilyvertical movement as well as an oscillating movement and while the partsof the jack are in open position to receive a shoe, is held yieldinglyin raised position and at the limit of its movement in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 14, by means of a tension spring 56stretched between a pin 58 on the jack frame and a pin 68 on the rackcarrying member 26 near the rear end of the rock 52. The spring 56 isarranged to act on the member 26 at one side of the shaft 54, asindicated in Fig. 14, and while the member 26 is not engaged by theracks 22 and 46, the spring tends to move the member 26 in a clockwisedirection until the spring is stretched to some extent around a pin 62on the jack frame. With the parts in the position indicated in Fig. 14,the member 26 is thus yieldingly held by the spring 56 in a position ofequilibrium from which it can be readily moved in either direction. Itis to be noted that the radial distance of the rack 24 from the centerof the shaft 54 is several times less than the radial distance of therack 52 from the center of the shaft. It is also to be noted that theracks 22 and 24 are brought into mesh prior to the meshing of the racks46 and 52. The racks 22 and 46 are brought into mesh with the racks 24and 52 of the member 26 after the shoe has been located in the desiredlongitudinal position on the jack. At this time, the teeth of the racks22 and 24 may not be exactly in alignment and accordingly, when theracks 22 and 24 are brought into engagement, a movement of rotation inone direction or the other may be imparted to the member 26. At thistime, the member 26 is free to move and accordingly, the racks may bebrought into mesh without producing any movement of the slide 20 andthrough the slide a displacement of the shoe on the jack. After theracks 22 and 24 are in engagement, the teeth of the racks 46 and 52 maybe out of alignment and accordingly as these two racks are brought intoengagement, a movement in one direction or the other will be imparted tothe member 26. This movement, however, will be not over the length ofhalf a tooth of the racks 46 and 52 and by reason of the differentradial distances of the racks 52 and 24 from the center of the shaft 54,will produce a much less and substantially inappreciable movement of theracks 24 and 22. Rack teeth of a size to afford the desired strength andrigidity can therefore be employed in the construction and arrangementof parts illustrated without interference with the desired nicety in thelocation of the shoe on the jack. Depression of the slide 20, ashereinafter described, to bring the racks 22 and 24 into mesh. imparts abodily downward movement to the rack carrying member 26 and causes therack 52 to mesh with the rack 46. Simultaneously with the meshing ofthese racks, the rack 52 near its forward end is brought into mesh witha pinion 64 mounted to rotate on a cross shaft 66 mounted in the jackframe to which shaft is secured a ratchet toothed segment 68 engaged bya spring-pressed locking pawl 10. In the final operation of clamping theshoe on the jack, a rotary movement is imparted to the pinion 64 from amanually actuated jacking lever I2, as will be hereinafter described.This rotary movement swings the arm 44 with its attached rack 46 in adirection to swing the lever 36 so as to lock the last pin to itssupporting block 28 and thereafter tilt the block on the heel supportingarm so as to force the toe of the shoe firmly against the toe rest.Simultaneously with this clamping, tipping movement of the last pin, abodily backward movement is imparted to the heel supporting arm 8through the rack carrying member 26 and slide 26, which movement tendsto still further tip the last pin and increase the pressure of the toeagainst the toe rest.

For the performance of certain operations on a shoe and with certainstyles of last, it is desirable to locate the tread surface of the shoeor the bottom of the last in a transverse plane determined by thelocation of the last pin hole in the last. Accordingly, in theillustrated construction, means are provided for locking the last pinpermanently to its supporting block 28, this means consisting of theadjustable set screw 48 which bears against the pin 50 and which may beadjusted so as to force the notched end of the lever firmly intoengagement with the notches in the base of the last pin. To hold the pinsecurely in any desired adjusted position, a spring 14 is coiled aroundthe set screw and is arranged to bear frictionally at one end againstthe lever 36 and at the other end against the head of the screw.

The toe centering grips or clamps which also act as a toe rest aresimilar in construction and each comprises a base portion 16, see Figs.5, 6 and 7, shaped and arranged to extend beneath the toe portion of ashoe a sufiicient distance to form a toe rest and a portion 18 shapedand arranged to engage the side of the shoe. The base portions 16 are inthe form of blocks and are pivotally mounted on the upper ends ofsupporting levers 86, the pivots for the block extending lengthwise ofthe shoe to permit the grips to swing so as to bring the toe supportingportion and the side engaging portion in contact with the shoe upper. Toenable the side engaging portions 18 to conform to the longitudinalcurvature of the lasted shoe, they are pivotally mounted in the baseportions 16 to swing about axes inclined downwardly towards each othertransversely of the shoe. There are two levers for supporting each toegrip, the block 16 of each grip being mounted between the upper ends ofa pair of levers 80. At their lower ends, the levers 80 are pivotallyconnected to the arms of a transverse supporting yoke 82 which ispivotally mounted midway between its ends by means of trunnions 84extending from the yoke into bearings in the vertical plates 86 and 88forming a portion of the upper end of the jack frame 2. This arrangementof the parts for supporting the toe grips permits the grips to moveoutwards and from each other as the levers 80 swing about their pivotalconnections with the yoke 82 and also permits the toe grips to moveheightwise of the last with relation to each other to compensate forvariations in the height of the toe portion of the last as the toe ofthe shoe is pressed downwardly against the toe grips. During thisrelative movement of the toe grips, the yoke 82 is rocked on itstrunnions and equal movements are imparted to the toe grips in oppositedirections.

The toe grips are moved into engagement with the sides of the shoe bythe movement of the leveling pins towards each other, as hereinafterdescribed, and in order to lock the toe grips in firm engagement withthe shoe, after being so moved, a locking slide 90 is connected to eachpair of levers 80. Each slide 90 projects from a plate 92 which extendsbetween the levers 86 and is provided with outwardly projecting ears bywhich it is pivotally connected to the levers. At their inner ends, theslides 90 are received in a guideway extending transversely through theupper end of a frame 94, which is supported by the slides and is mountedso as to be capable of a swinging movement by means of a pin 96extending transversely to and above the guide-

